Percy's Victory
by BeastMuffin
Summary: When the beginnings of a new prophecy unfurl, Percy discovers that, with the help of Annabeth, he must stand up to the ominous threats of a newcoming goddess. Who is she, and what does she want from him?
1. The Awakening

Percy Jackson and the Victory

Being a half-blood can be weird-and I mean weird. All of the strange and risky quests and activities make me wonder why I enjoy it so much. I mean, not everyone can say that they've battled hundreds of evil monsters and power-hungry gods and titans, or that they helped save the world, even.

Trust me; there aren't many half-bloods that can admit to that.

After I turned sixteen, I knew I was in for it: there had been a huge prophecy involving a child of the Big Three: namely the gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Any one of these gods' children, once aged sixteen, would basically be the maker-or-breaker of the world. Honestly, I was not a real happy camper after hearing that. Literally.

You see, all half-bloods-or children of a mortal parent, plus a god or goddess-are sent to a camp specially suited for their needs. We have chariot races, sword fighting, archery, and stuff like that. It's one of the safest places a half-blood can be, period.

Camp is where I learned how to use Riptide, my sword that is disguised as a pen and lands in my pocket whenever I don't need to use it. It's also where I've met some of my closest friends. Really, there's almost never a dull day at this camp…

Easily enough, Camp Half-Blood has got to be the most exciting place I've stayed at. For a normal person, slaying monsters and talking to the gods are not on their daily schedules, last time I checked. But there's probably almost nothing as surprising as what happened last summer.

It all began when I was settling down, just about ready to go to bed. All of the sudden I began to shiver, feeling a chill on my spine. There was a tiny voice in my head, telling me that I could never succeed. Then my mind went blank, just like that. I had no idea what the ominous tone was talking about, so I ignored it, expecting it to never bother me again. Of course, that was a dumb thing to think of.

I lay down on my bed, slowly running tomorrow's schedule through my head once more: loads of intense sword training. I grinned to myself and gently dozed off. You remember how demigods have creepy dreams, practically all the time? Well, that was how you could describe that night.

I was in an open arena, facing a crowd of at least one thousand. They were expressing looks of terror in my direction. I, of course, had no idea what was coming. Suddenly an explosion of mist clouded the air around me, the haze pulling me closer to the center of the stadium. Then, a young-looking woman with short brown hair and burning amber eyes stepped out of the dusty halo. She glared at me in triumph.

The woman kept staring. "Look at this imbecile. Diminutive, weak, good-for-nothing son of Poseidon. I was expecting greater things from the object of the prophecy of the Big Three from the year before," she cackled indignantly. The lady stopped abruptly, eyeing me with hate. I gulped as I noticed how she was wearing a huge battle suit, and how I was in the usual t-shirt and jeans. I may be pretty stupid, but I knew that I was in no shape to take her on.

My senses told me that she was no mortal, because you could see that in her eyes and the way in which she carried herself. I decided that she must've been a goddess. I was struggling to remember exactly who she was, if only Annabeth were with me…she knew about these things…

My mind decided to go blank again at that point. I woke up, my heart racing as if I had just run a mile. It was a bit early to get dressed and ready, so I just huddled in a corner of my room, alone and confused. Who was that goddess, and what did she want from me…?


	2. Identity

I trudged reluctantly towards the picnic area for breakfast. Seeing Grover and Annabeth waving at me made me feel a bit better, but it didn't help much. Grover was taking a short break from his wilderness duties so he could join us in camp. My mind was still occupied with the dream that I had the night before. I raised my head and smiled at them as much as I possibly could, but it was no use. They could see through my false enthusiasm easily.

"What's wrong?" questioned Grover with great concern. "Was it a dream again?"

"You look worse than usual," Annabeth chimed in, with a jocular tone.

"Thanks, guys, you make me feel special," I retorted, after giving them a bleak stare. They were probably right about me looking shabby. When you've got your life threatened in a situation like that, hygiene is one of the last things you're going to think about. "And yeah, it was a dream again. This one, though, was kind of different than my other ones."

Annabeth perked up immediately. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"What happened in it?" Grover said with great interest.

"Well, this one didn't really seem like it had a point, really. I'm not even sure if it's a prophecy. I was in a crowded arena, and a woman-I think it might have been a goddess-came up to me and told me how much of a useless loser I was. I have a feeling that it might be-"

"A warning!" Annabeth interrupted. "It's probably a sign for something that's going to happen soon. I think you should talk to the oracle, or Rachel, to be exact." She winked at me.

Dang. How come Annabeth always knew what to do?

"Sure, whatever. If you're so smart, then tell me who the goddess was." That was a really stupid thing to say, now that I think about it. "She looked young, and she had short, wavy brown hair. All gods and goddesses hold their heads up high, but this one acted particularly haughty."

Annabeth smirked at me and replied, "Well, think about it. Did the goddess have an aura of triumph around her? When you were near, did you feel as if you could never succeed?"

"Um…yeah, now that I think of it. What does that have to do with her identity?"

She leaned in towards my face and whispered, "Everything, Percy. _De immortales! _Sometimes you can be so obtuse!"

"So…who is she?" I replied sheepishly.

Annabeth rolled her gray eyes at me. "Have you ever heard of Nike, the goddess of victory?"

Grover gulped uneasily. "Y-you mean, like the athletic shoes? I ate one of those last week, it was kind of tough but it was delicious."

I grimaced as I scratched my head. "Is she the winged goddess who led the chariot in the titans' war?" Her name sounded familiar, and not just because of the shoes. I thought Annabeth may have mentioned her name once or twice.

Annabeth nodded. "I've read about her in some ancient artifacts, but no book really elaborates on her. But she is what she is, a goddess who always wins."

"But that's impossible! Everyone loses at some point in their life, right? She can't be that powerful. She's not a major goddess, anyways," I stuttered, trying to reassure myself.

Annabeth's expression grew dark. "Never underestimate the power of a god. I know, there must be a loophole to her winning streak, but she does possess that ability. You'll probably end up finding a way to get around that, even if you do lose."

She paused for a few seconds, and then continued on. "Go see Chiron, and ask him if you can see the oracle. You'll miss a bit of your sword training, but it'll be worth it, I promise."

"Whatever." I turned around and headed towards Chiron and Dionysus's table, lowering my gaze as to not attract any attention from them, or the lazy satyrs chatting amongst themselves while reclining on the open fields. Dio-nysus was distracted; making the strawberry crops shoot up suddenly. Since he was the god of those things, he could kind of make that happen.

I stood behind them patiently and cleared my throat softly. Chiron had noticed, and he raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Percy, may I be of any assistance?" he inquired.

"Yeah, um, Chiron, can I skip the first few minutes of sword fighting to talk to the oracle today?" I asked weakly. I wasn't exactly sure if he would let me just randomly talk to the oracle whenever I asked, so I added a bit more to what I was saying. "I had…a particularly strange dream about a minor goddess named Nike. I think it was more than just a nightmare."

Chiron put his glass down and stared up at the sky. "Total peace will never last for long," he murmured silently under his breath.

"No need for me to be melodramatic. I, as camp activities director, give you permission to consent with the oracle. Go to the phone booth and be back as soon as possible," he ordered me.

I hurried over to my table and gathered all of my belongings, and set off for the phone booth. Since the old oracle basically crumbled to pieces, a mortal girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare replaced her. She may be a mortal, but there was one special thing about her.

Rachel could see through the Mist, or what covers up all "mythical" activity. And since she's alive, she can't stay cooped up in the tiny cellar the old oracle was in. So whenever we have to consult her, we have to call her and hope she's home. And that was just what I was about to do.


	3. Bonfire

I pressed in Rachel's number quickly, and impatiently tapped the bright red sides of the English-style phone booth I was standing in. The dial tone's low hum echoed in the telephone's speakers for a good few seconds, and shortly afterwards someone picked up the phone.

"This is the Dare residence," a nasally voice spoke. I paused for a second. What was I supposed to say? Rachel was part of a rich family, so that must have been one of her butlers.

"Hello. May I speak to Rachel, please?" I asked awkwardly. I'm not one with much courtesy, if you must know.

"Yes, you may. I will go and fetch her," the voice stated curtly. The phone was put on hold, and I was once again held waiting. I gulped at the thought of how much this could cut into my battling practice, but I continued to stand. This was too important to simply hang up on.

"Hello?" a familiar voice spoke.

"Rachel? Is that you?" I replied really intelligently.

"Of course it is," said Rachel. I could feel her voice ease as she recognized who I was. "What do you want? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I have a favor to ask you. I had a weird dream and I have a feeling that it may involve a prophecy," I replied simply.

"Oh," her voice faltered. "Look, I'd be happy to help you, but I haven't felt anything strange. If there really were a prophecy, it would've shown itself by now, and you would kn-"

Rachel's voice faded, and then eventually came to a stop. I was clutching the phone apprehensively. I had no idea what had happened to Rachel or why she decided to just stop the conversation. Then my brilliantly quick mind just realized what it was.

The prophecy.

"_The victor of the quest preceding,_

_shall not leave in triumph in this meeting._

_To teach a lesson to the tyrant is a goal,_

_the factor that will save them as a whole."_

Rachel was breathing heavily on the other line. "W-what just happened to me?" she murmured. "Did I just give you a prophecy? Gods, I can never get used to that. Being an oracle is tough."

"I'm sure it is," I replied. "I know this is, well, rude, but I have to go. I'll fill you in on the details when I find them."

"Okay, well, talk to you later," she said sadly. I felt real bad about that, but I had a negative feeling that this quest-or whatever it was-was going to have to take place soon.

I woke the next morning, feeling normal, strangely enough. The sun was rising in a palette of pink, yellow, and blue hues. It seemed like the typical summer sunrise. That boosted my confidence some, so I hopped out of bed and prepared for the day, which mainly consisted of archery practice and caring for Mrs. O'Leary, my hellhound. It's a long story about how I got her.

After getting dressed, I raced down to where all of the other campers were. Kids from the Athena and Apollo cabins were already there. Annabeth smiled at me. She was wearing her Yankees cap, and the usual orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. "How'd the call yesterday go?" was the first thing that escaped her mind as I sat down next to her.

"I got the prophecy, but I don't really understand it…" I began shamefully.

Annabeth laughed. "'Course you don't, Seaweed Brain," she responded. "Tell me what it was." I explained what happened, and I told her the prophecy word for word.

She scratched her head and furrowed her brow. "I think it's easier to decipher than the other one," she said finally. "You're going to have to face whatever she throws at you. I'm guessing things will go smoothly even if you lose, like I said yesterday."

"Makes it so much more clear, thanks," I replied sarcastically.

"No problem," she smiled. Annabeth put her hand on my arm. "We're here for you, don't worry. All of us. You've saved all of humanity before, and we trust you to do exactly that this time," her eyes were shining, and she had a trace of wistfulness in her voice.

"Wow. A compliment." I stared up at the gloomy gray sky. The slight breeze told me that there would be heavy showers soon. And I'm not kidding about that. So we headed towards wherever we needed to go, and the day carried along as planned.

Later in the day, we were called to the bonfire area. The flames were burning high, the warm coals occasionally scattering about due to the extreme humidity. After Dionysus finished kindling the fire, he cleared his throat.

"Attention, all campers," he began, "We have another one of you joining us tonight. Apparently someone found her loitering around the camp grounds." He paused. Seemingly out of nowhere, a girl with long, curly brown hair and bright amber eyes stepped into the lighted area. The girl looked as if she were twelve or thirteen. She wasn't making eye contact with anyone, and I assumed she was too shy to speak.

"I would like for you all to welcome the newest member of the camp, Victoria." She reluctantly sat in an empty spot on the ground.

"Wonder whose kid that is," I whispered quietly to Annabeth. She simply shrugged and turned her attention towards the girl once again.

Dionysus gave me the evil eye, motioning to me that I should refrain from talking. "No words from your mouth until I am finished. Understand, Peter Johnson?" he inquired. Dionysus was forced by Zeus to work at the camp as punishment, and it was clear as day that he hated every second of it.

After he finished announcing all of the news, we spent the next half hour talking leisurely with each other. It was not until near bedtime when a strange light appeared above Victoria's head. Everyone noticed and looked in her direction. Victoria noticed seconds after, and looked above precariously.

It was a shimmering sign, a symbol of a god or goddess, I later came to realize. A deity was claiming the young child as their own. It looked like a crown of leaves, or one of the objects that a victor of an Olympic event would receive. "Impossible," murmured Chiron.

Chiron stood up and announced, "Attention, all. We can now declare that Victoria is the child of…Nike, the goddess of victory." There was a huge moment of silence. I guess that no one really knew much about her.

I gulped, startled and appalled. Annabeth looked at me, her face pale; expressing feelings of worry and confusion. We both had a bad feeling about what this meant.

"Dear gods," I could hear Chiron mutter under his breath. "Now it is time. All campers must go to their cabins and prepare themselves for bed. Perseus, you and Annabeth stay behind. I need to speak with you…about some important matters," his voice boomed. "Victoria, stay with Dionysus and he will inform you on what you should do."

"If you insist," Dionysus complained. He led Victoria to the main center, probably to tell her everything about our camp.

All campers stood up and retreated to their cabins-except for Annabeth and me, of course. When the campgrounds cleared, Chiron headed towards us. "Now, Perseus-If I am correct, your conversation from a day earlier-it was about the newcomer's parent, was it not?" he said calmly.

"Y-yes," I stuttered in reply. "I forgot to tell you about it. I received a prophecy from the oracle, and it was about Nike, sir."

Chiron had an unreadable expression on his face. "Tell me," he decided. "What did this prophecy contain?"

I told him everything. Annabeth informed him on her theory, plus the information I stupidly forgot. Chiron still appeared cool and collected, but we all knew this was a serious matter.

"I am not sure, but I have a foreboding feeling that this girl who, strangely enough, arrives the day after you are informed about the prophecy is a key element in our problem. That is what I have contemplated, however this girl may be innocent and we cannot immediately blame her," Chiron finished, with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Annabeth stared at me and nodded slightly, telling me that she agreed with Chiron. I nodded back, acknowledging her opinion, silently concurring with them as well. "We agree," Annabeth said. "We'll just have to wait and see what kind of girl Victoria is. The prophecy will unfold sometime."

Chiron nodded brusquely. "Keep an eye on Victoria. Do not act hostile, but do not create a strong bond with her. We do not know for sure if she has motives similar to these at all. I've had little experience with Nike, but I do know her one goal is to win. She will play dirty to remain victorious; however she does not always technically win. "

Annabeth and I exchanged looks. We both knew that we were going to help each other in this mission. After a few seconds, Chiron instructed for us to go to our cabins and go to bed. Annabeth stood next to me and gently grasped my hand. She said quietly, "We're in this together." We relished those couple of seconds together in peace.

I grinned wearily as I headed towards my cabin. Hopefully things were going to work out for Annabeth and me.


End file.
